Second suspect arrested in Atlanta shooting that killed 6-month-old boy, 911 calls released
ATLANTA - Atlanta police say a second person has been arrested in connection to a shooting in northwest Atlanta Monday that killed a 6-month-old boy.
Officials say Sharice Ingram turned herself in at Atlanta Police Public Safety Headquarters and was transported to the Fulton County Jail.
Sharice Ingram (Fulton County Sheriff's Office)
Ingram has been charged with party to the crime aggravated assault and party to the crime felony murder.
During her first appearance on Friday, a judge denied her bond.
Her arrest comes a day after police arrested 22-year-old Dequasie Little. Police say they are confident that they have the shooter and will track down anyone else involved.
911 calls released
Horrified and panicked, but composed, Kerri Gray can be heard telling a 911 operator what happened to her son Grayson Mathew Fleming-Gray as her car was caught in a hail of gunfire on Anderson Avenue on January 24.
"My baby was shot in a drive-by! My baby was shot in a drive-by!" Gray could be heard yelling as soon the 911 operator answered. "It was a drive-by, people were driving past us shooting and they got my baby. He's six months."
Gray says to the operator the gunmen sped away from the scene.
During Gray's 911 call, a man who identified himself as a former firefighter and EMT took the phone as Gray tried to apply pressure to her son's bleeding head. He can be heard trying to calm the mother down as she realized the extent of her son's injuries.
"He's not breathing and his skull is moving! I need my phone and I need to call his father," she can be heard yelling.
It was the man who ultimately shared the dreadful news with the 911 operator after she'd asked him to indicate every time the baby took a breath.
"There is none. I'm telling you," he said. "The bullet went through his head and fractured his skull," he explained.
Several other people called 911 to report the shooting, including one woman who said her car was struck by a bullet. Others called in the hours to follow, which helped police make the quick arrests.
Who is Dequasie Little, the first shooting suspect?
What is known right now about the 22-year-old suspect accused by police of a shooting that claimed the life of a 6-month-old boy comes from public records.
Little has recently been released from the Houston County jail after his probation on misdemeanor charges battery and child cruelty was revoked back in November.
Little was also on probation on aggravated assault charges in Fulton County from 2019. Court records show he pleaded guilty to those charges under a first offense status, receiving five years of probation.
A petition was filed in October asking the court to revoke his probation, but no changes were made, records indicate.
Little is also out on bond for a misdemeanor charge in Clayton County, according to jail records, after being charged with two counts of giving false information.
The Shooting
The shooting was reported around 3 p.m. Monday at a Food Mart on Anderson Avenue NW near the intersection with Tiger Flowers Drive. According to Atlanta police, there was an altercation between two adults that resulted in gunfire.
During the gunfight, a stray bullet hit 6-month-old Grayson Matthew Fleming-Gray as he rode with his family passing the Food Mart.
Medics rushed the baby to Grady Memorial Hospital he was pronounced dead from his injuries.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant publicly vowed to find the person who pulled the trigger and ended the baby boy's life.
"These children are bearing the burden and the pain of adults who are choosing to use guns to settle disputes," Dickens says at the scene of the crime on Monday. "The children are bearing this burden with their lives."
ATLANTA CITY LEADERS TALK ABOUT STOPPING THE VIOLENCE AFTER BABY IS SHOT AND KILLED
Less than 24 hours later, police arrested Little.
"I want this to be a message just not to him but to everyone that was involved yesterday that we are very early in the investigation and anyone who thinks they will commit violence in our city we are coming with you with everything we got," says Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant.
Mother recalls shooting
The mother of the 6-month-old boy killed by a stray bullet on Monday says his death was senseless.
"He has a beautiful smile. He had a beautiful heart. He was very smart. He was very funny," says mother Kerri Gray. "And honestly, that’s about all I can tell you because that’s about as much as I got to learn from him before he was taken from me."
She says it all happened so fast when she was trying to pull into the parking lot of a nearby market.
"I know I heard a noise, I pulled off to the side, I saw two cars speed past me and when I pulled in, that’s when I had seen the gun barrel and next thing I know I get out to check on my son, and he was slumped forward," Gray saays.
She says there was little indication something had happened until she saw her son.
"It hit the trunk, so there was no shattered glass, there was no crying, it was instant," she recalled. "So, we didn’t feel anything, hear anything."
She has a message for those involved or anyone who would involve themselves in similar gun violence.
"Make better life choices, please," she says. "Because the rest of us cannot live in a world where you get to be that selfish."
Helping the family
Police officers in the Zone 1 precinct were moved to action on Monday following the deadly shooting. While investigators worked to find those responsible, other officers worked to set up an online account to help the family.
Anyone who would like to donate can do so by going to their GoFundMe page.
Officers also reached out to area funeral homes and churches to try to cover expenses.
Police say another way to help the family is to call Crime Stoppers with any tips about the case.
Vehicle of Interest
Tuesday, police shared surveillance video of a light-colored Jeep SUV driving off in the background that is a vehicle of interest.
In the video, it appears someone is pointing a weapon out of the front passenger window.
It is not known if Little or Ingram were in this vehicle at the time of the shooting.
Police are asking anyone with information about the case to call the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477). A reward of up to $5,000 is available for anyone with information that leads to an arrest and indictment in the case.
Third child shot in January
Fleming-Gray is the third child under the age of 6 shot in Atlanta in January alone. Two of them have now died.
The first victim was a 1-year-old girl who was shot by another child with an unsecured gun inside a home on the 800 block of Harwell Road. The young girl's mother has been charged with second-degree murder.
The second shooting happened on Jan. 19 when a 5-year-old was hit by a stray bullet after two drivers started shooting at each other on Campbellton Road. Two suspects have been taken into custody in that investigation.